Older quarterbacks teaching young guns new tricks

RENTON, Wash. - The play of Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner this season contradicts his age.

His footwork is smooth and sharp. His delivery, crisp and true. High velocity passes find their targets with pinpoint accuracy.

Warner has put together a season that has Arizona (8-5) in the playoffs for the first time in a decade and him on the verge of possibly receiving his third league MVP award. It's only when he removes his helmet that Warner's 37 years are revealed by the salt and pepper that is creeping into his once jet-black hair and dominates his facial stubble.

AP PhotoArizona quarterback Kurt Warner could be on the verge of receiving his third MVP award at age 37.

They say the arm is the last thing to go for a NFL quarterback. And this season, Warner leads a group of five quarterbacks ranging in age from 35 to 39 that have led their teams into the playoff picture. All of them are with a different team than they were at the pinnacle of their career. And all have beaten out youthful quarterbacks on their current teams - ironically, in each case players from the 2006 draft class.

Warner's Cardinals won their first division championship since 1975. Brett Favre, 39, has the New York Jets, 4-12 last season, in a tie for the AFC East lead. Jeff Garcia, 39, has led Tampa Bay to the third-best record in the NFC. Gus Frerotte, 37, took over the Vikings at 0-2 and has them in first place in the NFC North. And Kerry Collins, 35, has taken Tennessee to the league's best record at 12-1.

"It's not an exact science and I think certain teams miss out on opportunities," Warner said. "That is why guys like Brett, Kerry Collins, Gus and myself, are playing well and are giving a distinct advantage to their football teams. Hopefully teams will second-guess letting a guy go too early because he may still have time to be productive."

AP PhotoKerry Collin's career as a starter appeared over until he started racking up wins for the Titans.

While every team is always on the lookout for the hotshot young quarterback that could become the next Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, they are not always patient. So in the win-now NFL, if the more youthful quarterback falters, teams go searching for veterans to carry them through.

Virtually gone are the days when quarterbacks such as a young Terry Bradshaw are given multiple years to develop. From 1970 through 1973, Bradshaw posted a passer rating of less than 65 all four seasons while throwing 48 touchdowns with 73 interceptions. The Steelers stuck with him and he eventually blossomed into a four-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback.

AP PhotoBrett Favre, 39, took over a New York Jets team that was 4-12 a year ago and has them on the verge of reaching the playoffs.

In Warner's case, after winning a Super Bowl and two MVPs with St. Louis, he spent a season with the New York Giants mentoring a young Eli Manning before signing with Arizona in 2005. Despite Warner's 85.8 passer rating that year, the Cardinals selected Leinart with the 10th overall pick in 2006 to be their franchise quarterback. But they kept Warner around for insurance.

Luckily for them, they did. Warner has thrown 58 touchdown passes since the struggling Leinart arrived. Prior to this season, Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt declared the quarterback position open for competition
rather than handing it to Leinart.

"That's pretty gutsy," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "I applaud them for that... To be quite honest, not every owner or front office would allow you to do that. (They'd say,) 'We just drafted this kid No.¤1, we're paying him x-amount of dollars.' "

The Jets were looking for the quick turnaround after a disappointing 2007 season and didn't believe Clemens was ready to run the team. So, Jets coach Eric Mangini jumped at the chance to acquire Favre, who initially had retired after an MVP-caliber 2007 season for Green Bay but
was rebuffed by the Packers when he decided to return to the team, which had committed to 2005 first-round pick Aaron Rodgers.

The Jets are tied for the lead in the AFC East. Green Bay, 13-3
last season, is 5-8 and out of the playoff picture.

To be fair, Rodgers is having a good season with a passer rating of 92.1. Still . . .

"You can't underestimate the value of experience and all the things that the older quarterbacks can bring to the table in terms of game management, in terms of keeping the group centered and keeping the group focused," Mangini told reporters in New York. "I think those things are excellent things to have. When you do have young quarterbacks on the roster, they're good examples for those guys to see how you can have longevity and how you can be successful, regardless of where you are in your career."

While Favre and Warner have put up sometimes gaudy numbers, Collins, who led the Giants to a Super Bowl defeat after the 2000 season, and Frerotte have excelled as game managers. They use their experience to avoid costly mistakes while their team's dominant defenses and running games carry the bulk of the workload.

AP PhotoJeff Garcia, 38, saved Philadelphia's season in 2006 and is on the verge of having led Tampa Bay to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

"There's no panic," Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said of guys like Collins. "They're always going to be in ballgames and they're usually going to find ways to win them."

The main caveat to having an older quarterback is injuries. Each has had his share. But Whisenhunt said it's up to the teams to preserve their passers.

"I think at that position, as long as you can protect them, they will continue to play at a high level for many years," he said.

For the quarterbacks themselves, some have contemplated retirement. But the once brash young quarterback that remains beneath the salt and pepper hair won't allow his older body to rest just yet.

"If you talk with Kerry, if you talk with Kurt, older guys, you realize that you're playing game to game," Favre said during a news conference. "Your focus is so much different than it was as a younger player. You just appreciate the moment a lot more because you realize it won't be
there forever...As you get older, all you want to do is get by and go on to the next game and win. It's amazing how you change."